Way 2 – Invest in People with Disabilities

Nicole Atherton is 25 years old and an active member of the Moorhead community.

Nicole does volunteer work and holds down two part-time jobs — one at a grocery store and one providing administrative support to a nonprofit serving others with disabilities. She is also working toward her next goal — moving to an apartment that would allow her to live more independently, and save the state money.

She doesn’t let her disability hold her back, and state-funded services for people with disabilities, including job coaching and support for independent living skills, are a major reason she can do so much.

Nicole has a bright future, thanks to the state’s investment in services that keep her healthy and maintain her many commitments. “My goal is to use fewer services and be even more independent,” she says.

Nicole and her family understand the connection between the services she receives and the need to raise revenues to fund them. That’s why they are active in advocating both for fair revenues and services for others with disabilities, which earned Nicole an Outstanding Citizen of the Year award from the Metro Area Mayors Committee for People with Disabilities.